Hand gun and ammunition therefor

ABSTRACT

A hand gun and a shot-type ammunition cartridge which provides a linear shot pattern. The gun includes a barrel which is pivotally mounted to the gun frame to fold the barrel against the frame for easy storage or for concealment under clothing. The barrel has a specially shaped bore which is oblong in cross section and a fanshaped muzzle to provide a planar field of fire when a shot-type gun shell is employed. A shell having a special configuration conforming to the shape of the bore cooperates with the barrel in developing an even distribution of shot in a linear shot pattern.

Waited States Patent 1 91 Wilhelm et a1.

[451 May 1,1973

[ 1 HAND GUN AND AMMUNITION THEREFOR 22 Filed: Sept.17,1970

[21 Appl.No 73,047

[52] U.S. C1 ..42/13, 42/76 R, 42/79,

102/42 R [51] Int. Cl. ..F4lc 9/00, F410 21/00, F42b 7/04 [58] Field of Search ..42/13, 12, 62, 76 R,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 103,694 5/ l 870 Wesson ..42/l3 1,227,987 5/1917 Wright ....42/79 3,492,750 2/1970 Ashbrook et al. ..42/79 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 8,802 8/1894 Great Britain ..42/76 R Primary ExaminerBenjamin A. Borchelt Assistant ExaminerC. T. Jordan AttorneyFishman and Van Kirk [5 7] ABSTRACT A hand gun and a shot-type ammunition cartridge which provides a linear shot pattern. The gun includes a barrel which is pivotally mounted to the gun frame to fold the barrel against the frame for easy storage or for concealment under clothing. The barrel has a specially shaped bore which is oblong in cross section and a fan-shaped muzzle to provide a planar field of fire when a shot-type gun shell is employed. A shell having a special configuration conforming to the shape of the bore cooperates with the barrel in developing an even distribution of shot in a linear shot pattern.

22 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Pafented May 1, 1973 3,729,848

2 Sheets-Sheet l iNVENTORS GARY WILHELM MARK C. YELLIN ATTORNEYS 2 Sheets-s 2 FIG, 4

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to the field of guns and is more particularly directed to guns which fire a load of shot from a shell.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the past, most guns have been developed for lethal purposes. A projectile or projectiles are fired from the gun at a lethal velocity due to the detonation of a relatively large powder charge within an ammunition cartridge. More recently, however, the use of lethal firearms in selected situations such as public disturbances has been found to be objectionable unless extreme circumstances leave law enforcement officials with no other reasonable alternative. A nonlethal gun would be more satisfactory in such situations.

Most guns in the prior art are designed to fire a projectile or a spray of shot in a single direction toward which the gun is aimed. In shotguns, it is possible to vary the size of the shot pattern by employing barrels having different chokes. In more sophisticated devices adjustable chokes such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,685,144 are employed to vary the field covered by the shot pattern.

A special purpose muzzle which is intended to produce a unidirectional or line-type shot pattern is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,227,987. With a line-type shot pattern, a large horizontal area can be covered without wasting much of the shot load due to spreading of the shot in the vertical direction as well. Since the shotgun can be used as a nonlethal firearms, a gun producing a linear shot pattern would be desirable and useful.

While the concept of providing a linear shot pattern has many advantages, producing a uniform linear distribution of shot is not so easily accomplished. When shot are initially accelerated in a straight line as in the conventional shotgun barrel, it is difficult to redirect the high velocity shot in an evenly distributed pattern simply by connecting a flattened'muzzle to the end of a conventional gun barrel. Expanding powder gases being lighter, tend to spread and pass the accelerating shot at the expanded region of the bore without contributing greatly to changes in the generally unidirectional velocity of the shot. Only the more slowly moving shot at the sides of the charge have the opportunity to be diverted and produce the planar spray of shot. The resulting shot pattern still conforms basically to the circular cross section of the bore with only minor traces of shot extending along radials at opposite sides of the circular pattern.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The novel gun of the present invention has an improved flattened barrel which includes a bore having an oblong transverse cross section throughout the length of the bore. The muzzle of the barrel flares outwardly in a fan shape and terminates in an arcuate configuration at'the mouth of the muzzle. Within the fan-shaped muzzle, a number of radially extending ridges define a series of channels which direct shot from a gun shell along radial paths during acceleration of the shot in the barrel. To assist the barrel in producing the linear shot pattern, a special shell having an oblong configuration conforming to the shape of the barrel also has an arcuate discharging end which is positioned concentrically with the mouth of the muzzle. The concentric arrangement defines equal path lengths for the shot accelerating along the different radial paths.

Due to the oblong configuration of the bore, the barrel has a planar configuration. The barrel in one embodiment of the invention is pivotally mounted to a gun frame so that the barrel can be tilted parallel to the plane of the frame and conveniently stored in a pocket or under clothing. The barrel is resiliently biased from the stored position toward the firing position in which the planes of the barrel and frame are at right angles to one another. In the stored position, a latch connected to the trigger of the gun holds the barrel. During the first portion of the trigger displacement, the latch releases the barrel from its stored position and the barrel immediately assumes the firing position. During the remaining portion of the trigger displacement, a conventional hammer is cocked and tripped to fire the gun.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to disclose a folding gun and shot-type gun shell which produce a linear shot pattern.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The novel gun and shot-type gun shell with their numerous advantages will be explained and better understood by reference to the following drawings in which the same elements bear the same reference numerals throughout the several figures.

FIG. 1 is a side view of the hand gun with the barrel in its firing position.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the hand gun looking toward the muzzle with the barrel in its firing position.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the gun with the barrel in its stored position and the breechface cover open for loading ammunition.

FIG. 4 is a sectional side view of the gun showing the operating mechanisms.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the gun prepared for firing with the barrel and the ammunition shell shown partially in section.

FIG. 6 is a view of the ammunition shell from the shot-expelling end.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The exterior features of the novel hand gun It) disclosed by the present invention are seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The principal components of the gun 10 are the gun frame 12 and the gun barrel 14. The frame 12 includes a grip portion 16 (FIG. 4) to which a pair of mating grip plates 18 are secured by means of screws 20. The two plates 18 form a trigger guard 22 which projects forwardly toward the muzzle of the gun. A trigger 24 is pivotally mounted to the frame 12 near the lower central region of the frame by means of a trigger pin 26. A finger-shaped latch 28 is fixedly secured in a bifurcated forward portion of the trigger 24 by means of rivets 30 seen in FIGS. 2 and 4. Latch 28, fixedly secured to the trigger 24, moves in a downward direction in conjunction with the initial rotation of trigger 24 on pin 26.

The gun frame 12 includes two lugs 32 and 34 to which the barrel 14 is pivotally mounted by means of a pivot pin 36. The pivot pin 36 passes through lug 32 into two barrel lugs 38 and 40 and the frame lug 34. Pin 36 is held in place by means of a spring-loaded stop 42 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 4) which, when butted against shoulder 44 on pin 36, locks both the stop 42 and pin 36 in position. lnterposed between the two barrel lugs 38 and 40 is a torsion spring 46. The extended ends of the spring 46 are forced against the gun frame 12 and the barrel 14 respectively due to the torsional loading of spring 46. It will be understood that when spring 46 is under such a torsional load, the barrel 14 is continually biased about the pivot pin 36 in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2.

The pivotal mounting of barrel 14 on the frame 12 by means of pin 36 permits the barrel 14 to be rotated between the firing position perpendicular to the gun frame 12 as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and a lateral storing position parallel with the gun frame 12 as indicated in phantom in FIG. 2 and shown in the rear view of the gun in FIG. 3. It will be noted in FIG. 2 that the lug 32 has a rectangular boss 48 which serves as a stop for the barrel 14 to align the barrel 14 in its firing position on the frame 12. The lug 34 also possesses a similar boss which cooperates with boss 48 to maintain the gun in the firing position in conjunction with the torsional load applied by torsion spring 46.

When the barrel 14 is rotated to the storing position beside the frame 12, the gun l assumes a generally flat configuration for convenient storage in a pocket or holster or for concealment under clothing. In the stored position, latch 28 connected to trigger 24 engages a rib 52 at one side of the barrel 14 as seen most clearly in FIG. 3. In order to release the barrel 14, trigger 24 is rotated about pin 26 and the accompanying downward displacement of latch 28 causes the upwardly projecting tang 54 to disengage the barrel rib 52. When tang 54 clears the rib 52, torsion spring 46 immediately pivots the barrel 14 from its stored position to the firing position. It will accordingly be understood that the hand gun can be transformed from its stored condition to its firing condition merely by actuating trigger 24.

The cross-sectional view of the gun in FIG. 4 reveals the firing mechanism. The firing mechanism actuated by the trigger 24 is conventional and comprises basically a hammer 60, a hammer strut 62, a hammer pawl 64 and a firing spring 72 mounted within the grip portion 16 of the gun frame 12. The hammer 60 is pivotally mounted in the grip portion 16 on a pivot pin 66. The hammer strut 62 includes a leg 68 which slides within an aperture in bracket 70 fixedly secured within the grip portion 16. Firing spring 72 is mounted concentrically about the leg 68 and is compressed between the bracket 70 and a strut shoulder 74 at the upper end of leg 68. The fork 76 at the top of hammer strut 62 engages pin 78 in hammer 60. The lateral projection 80 of strut 62 extends under hammer 60 adjacent the pivot pin 66 and serves as a stop to limit the counterclockwise rotation of hammer 60 as viewed in FIG. 4.

The hammer pawl 64 is pivotally mounted in a cut-- out of hammer 60 by means of pin 82. The pawl spring 84 urges the upper end of pawl 64 into contact with the hammer 60. The lower end of pawl 64 engages a rearwardly projecting tang 86 on trigger 24. Trigger 24 is normally held by means of a return spring 88 at its rest position in which latch 28 contacts frame 12. Spring 88 is sandwiched between a shoulder on trigger strut 90 and a trigger strut anchor pin 96. The strut 90 is connected to trigger 24 by means of pin 92 and the anchor pin 96 is free to rotate within the frame 12.

Although the actuation of the firing mechanism by means of trigger 24 is conventional, the coordinated release of the barrel in conjunction with the actuation of the firing mechanism is an important feature of the invention. During the first portion of the rotation of trigger 24 about pin 26, latch 28 rotates downwardly until the tang 54 (FIG. 3) releases barrel 14. Torsion spring 46 immediately rotates the barrel 14 from its stored position shown in phantom in FIG. 2 to its firing position depicted in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4. At the same time, tang 86 on trigger 24 (FIG. 4) rotates into contact with pawl 64 and begins to cock hammer 60. During cocking, the hammer and strut 68 further compress firing spring 72. As the trigger 24 continues to rotate in the counter-clockwise direction, tang 86 eventually reaches a trip position at which pawl 64 can slip past tang 86 and allow hammer 60, now fully cocked, to be driven by spring 72 and to impact against firing pin 98 located at the breech end of barrel 14.

It should be understood that the latch 28 and tang 54 are so positioned on trigger 24 that barrel 14 is released from its stored position during a first portion of the trigger stroke and that the fully cocked position is reached in a second portion of the trigger stroke. The barrel l4, spring 46, latch 28, trigger 24, pawl 64 and hammer 60 are so sized and arranged that the release of barrel 14 occurs well before the hammer 60 is fully cocked. By this arrangement, barrel 14, under the influence of torsion spring 46, reaches its firing position well before the hammer 60 is tripped.

After the gun 10 has been fired trigger 24 is returned to its rest position by means of return spring 88 and the strut 90. Tang 86 is permitted to pass pawl 64 by means of a limited rotation of the pawl 64 on hammer 60. Pawl spring 84 insures that pawl 64 is rotated to its initial position contacting hammer 60 in preparation for a subsequent actuation of the firing mechanism by trigger 24.

If the gun operator wishes to reposition barrel 14 in its stored position, he manually rotates barrel 14 about pin 36 while trigger 24 is held in its partially returned position. Once barrel 14 is in its stored position, trigger 24 is fully released and tang 54 re-engages rib 52 as seen in FIG. 3.

From the above description, it will be understood that one of the novel features of the gun in the present invention is that the gun can be folded into a small package and be conveniently stored or concealed under a person's clothing. As long as the barrel 14 remains in its stored position, the gun cannot be inadvertently fired by hammer 60. Only after the barrel 14 has been rotated into its firing position does hammer 60 register with the firing pin 98 as seen most clearly in FIG. 3. Accordingly, the gun can be carried under one's clothing in a loaded condition without fear of the firearm being inadvertently discharged.

From the stored condition the gun may be immediately brought to a firing condition by actuation of the trigger during the firing of the gun. This feature of the novel hand gun is particularly advantageous for police or other law enforcement agencies who must frequently appear in public fully armed without being recognized or without inciting alarm. The gun is also particularly useful in preventing mugging or controlling riots.

It is appropriate to examine another important feature of the present invention which allows the disclosed gun to produce a line-type shot pattern. As can be seen in FIGS. 1-5, barrel 14 has a special planar configuration. More particularly, the bore 100 has an oblong transverse cross section throughout the barrel from the breech end 102 to the muzzle 104. The term oblong as used throughout the specification is intended to include a slightly elliptical configuration; however, the configuration generally includes two long parallel sides separated by a distance which is less than the length of the parallel sides. The term oblong direction refers to the direction in which the parallel sides extend.

As seen most clearly in FIG. 5, the width of the bore 100 in the oblong direction is greater at the muzzle 104 than at the breech end 102 of barrel 14. The walls of the bore 100 are parallel at the breech end 102; however, the bore cross section increases continuously in the oblong direction from a point mid-way within the.

bore to the muzzle 104. The barrel 14 accordingly has a fan-shaped configuration at the muzzle. Throughout the bore 100, the dimensions of the cross section normal to the oblong direction are substantially constant. The fan-shaped muzzle 104 terminates along a circular are 106 having a geometric center 108 centrally located at the breech end of the barrel 14.

The surface of the bore 100 within the muzzle 104 bears a plurality of tapered ridges 110 extending radially from the center 108 to the arcuate mouth of the muzzle 104. The ridges 110 are produced by radially drilling the muzzle 104 during manufacture. The ridges 110 produce a plurality of channels or sub-bores which extend radially from the breech end of the barrel 14. As described hereinafter, the ridges assist in distributing a load of shot evenly in a plane to produce a well-defined linear shot pattern.

In contrast to the ridges in the muzzle 104, the breech end 102 of bore 100 has a smooth inner surface with a constant cross section.

A breechface cover 120 is pivotally connected to the rib 52 of barrel 14 by means of a pivot screw 122. The firing pin 98 together with a centering spring 124 are mounted in a centrally located passageway extending through the cover 120. A retaining pin 126 (FIG. 3) prevents the centering spring 124 from ejecting the firing pin 90 from the cover passageway. The length of the firing pin 98 is slightly less than the length of the passageway through the cover 120. Retaining pin 126 and spring 124 hold firing pin 90 at a rest position in which the pin 98 does not project from the passageway at either side of the cover 120. Of course, on firing of the gun, the hammer 60 strikes the head of firing pin 98 and causes the firing pin to momentarily project through the cover 120 into the breech end 102 of barrel 14.

A breechface cover lock pin 130 (FIGS. 3 and 5) is mounted in a passageway drilled in rib 132 on the side of barrel 14 opposite rib 52. When cover 120 is in the closed position, the lock pin 130 is urged by coil spring 134 into an aperture 136 at the side of the breechface cover 120 opposite pivot screw 122. With the lock pin 130 engaged in aperture 136, the cover 120 closes the breech end 102 of bore 100. A lever 138 projects through a slot 140 in the rib 132 and engages the lock pin 130 to actuate the lock pin 130 in and out of engagement with the cover 120. As seen in FIG. 3, the cover 120 in the open position fully exposes the bore at the breech end so that a gun shell can be inserted into the barrel 14 when the barrel is pivoted to the stored position. Once a shell has been loaded, the cover 120 is closed and locked and the barrel 14 may be rotated into its firing position when desired.

As mentioned above, it is an important feature of the present invention that a linear shot pattern be produced by the hand gun 10. An even distribution of shot along a line is promoted by the radially extending ridges in muzzle 104 and the oblong cross section extending throughout the length of the bore 100. To further facilitate the even distribution of the shot, a specially shaped ammunition shell shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is utilized by the gun. The shell, designated 150, includes a casing 152 having an oblong cross section corresponding to the cross section of the bore 100 at the breech end 102. The breech end of the casing 152 has an upwardly extending extraction lip 154 which engages a cut-out 156 in the breech end of barrel 14. The opposite or front end of casing 152 is open and contains a charge of shot 158. Casing 152 has an arcuate sealing wad or cover 160 located concentrically with the are 106 at the mouth of muzzle 104 when the lip 154 engages slot 156 at the breech end of barrel 14 as in FIG. 5. The sealing cover 160 is held to the shell casing 152 by crimping the edges of casing 152 over the cover 160. Accordingly, the upper and lower walls of the casing 152 seen in FIG. 6 have arcuate end surfaces.

The casing 152 and the sealing cover 160 may be constructed from either cardboard or plasticaA common plastic used for cartridge casings is designated in the trade as ABS plastic and is a polycarbonate materia1.

Behind the load of shot 158 is a pair of sealing ribbons 162 and 164 which extend respectively in the oblong direction from opposite lateral sides of casing 152. The ribbons 162 and 164 form a partition within casing 152 and overlap one another at the central region of the cartridge 150. The ribbons have a combined length which is equal to or greater than the length of arc 106 at the mouth of muzzle 104 for reasons to be described hereinafter. Behind the ribbons 162 and 164 is a compressor pad 166 which may be a band of plastic material having a plurality of holes distributed serially therein. The compressor pad is optional and aids the sealing ribbons 162 and 164 in maintaining gas pressure during firing of the charge of powder 168 which fills the remaining interior of casing 152.

The rear wall of casing 152 is substantially thicker than the lateral walls which seal the gun shell in the breech of the barrel 14 during firing. A primer 170 is mounted centrally within the rear wall of casing 152 and is aligned with the firing pin 98 when the cover is closed and latched.

In order to extract a spent shell from the barrel 14, a depression 172 is milled in the barrel 14 adjacent slot 156. Extraction lip 154 at the back end of shell can be reached by placing ones finger in the depression 172. Pulling the lip 154 rearwardly after the cover 120 has been opened results in extraction of the casing 152.

Several cooperating features of the barrel 14 and gun shell 150 bear special notice. With the cover 160 and the arcuate mouth of muzzle 104 located concentrically, radial ridges 110 define a plurality of sub-bores of equal length extending radially to the mouth of the muzzle 104. As a consequence, when the hammer 60 strikes the firing pin 98 and the primer 170 ignites the powder charge 168, all of the shot 158 are propelled equal distances through the barrel 14 regardless of which direction the shot are expelled. Furthermore, the shot are initially accelerated in directions corresponding respectively to the final trajectories intended for even, linear distribution of the shot. The radially inward ends of the ridges 110 are bevelled slightly so that all of the shot find their way into one of the grooves defined between the ridges 110. The bevelling step can be accomplished during manufacture of the barrel 14 by sweeping an end mill having conical cutting surfaces about the geometric center 108.

The sealing ribbons 162 and 164 forming part of the partition between the powder charge 168 and the load of shot 158 move outwardly with the expending gases of the powder charge and form a dynamic seal in front of the expanding gases to prevent the gases from skirting the heavier shot as the shot are accelerated through the muzzle 104. As the ribbons pass through the diverging muzzle 104, the ends of the ribbons 162 and 164 follow the diverging walls and the overlapping portions near the center of the bore slide over one another to maintain the gas seal. For this reason, the ribbons 162 and 164 have a total length which is preferably at least as long as or greater than the length of are 106 at the mouth of muzzle 104. In this manner, the sealing function performed by the ribbons is carried on throughout the acceleration of the shot 158 through the fan-shaped muzzle 104.

The combination of the oblong gun shell and bore section together with the fan-shaped muzzle greatly facilitate the distribution of the load of shot 158 evenly in a linear shot pattern. Furthermore, the sealing function performed by ribbons 162 and 164 prevents the expanding gases from the powder charge from circumventing the accelerating shot and forming a wedge between the diverging walls of the barrel and the accelerating shot. These cooperating features of the barrel 14 and the shell 150 are all directed to the object of achieving a more uniform distribution of shot in a linear pattern.

While the gun 10 including the barrel l4 and the shell 150 have been described in a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the essential purposes of the different components. in the gun, for example, various hinge arrangements between the barrel l4 and frame 12 can be incorporated without destroying the folding function of the gun 10. In the barrel 14, various means for pivoting and latching the breechface cover 120 can be utilized. The angle subtended by the diverging walls of the fanshaped muzzle 104 can be increased or decreased to vary the number of sub-bores within the muzzle. in one form of the invention, the sub-bores are approximately 3 apart and the subtended angle of the muzzle accommodates 17 sub-bores. The quantities of shot or powder in any given cartridge can be varied to obtain a desired shot velocity at a selected range. For example, for riot control the powder charge may be reduced to a non-lethal amount at short range so that persons hit are only disabled or knocked down. For other uses a lethal amount may be desired. Accordingly, the present invention, while disclosed in a preferred embodiment, is described by way of illustration rather than limitation.

What is claimed is:

l. A hand gun comprising:

a gun frame;

a trigger mounted to the frame and movable with respect to the frame;

firing means including a movable hammer mounted to the frame, the firing means being engaged by the movable trigger for actuation of the hammer;

a gun barrel having a bore therethrough and muzzle and breech ends respectively disposed at opposite ends of said bore, the barrel being pivotally mounted to the gun frame about an axis parallel to the bore for limited pivotal displacement, the displacement positions including a first position with respect to the frame in which the breech end of the barrel registers with the hammer for firing and a second pivotal position in which the breech end is offset from registry with the hammer; and

means for resiliently biasing the gun barrel away from the second position and into the first position.

2. The hand gun ofclaim 1 including:

means connected to the gun frame for retaining the gun barrelin the first and second positions.

3. The hand gun of claim 1 including:

means connected to the trigger for latching the gun barrel in the second position.

4. The hand gun ofclaim 3 wherein:

the means for latching the gun barrel includes a latch fixedly connected to the movable trigger.

5. The hand gun of claim 4 wherein:

the movable trigger is pivotally mounted in the gun frame, the pivotal displacement of the trigger including a segment between a rest position of the trigger and a firing position of the trigger; and

the means for latching is connected to the trigger for releasing the gun barrel from the second position at a position of the trigger intermediate the rest position and the firing position.

6. The hand gun of claim 1 in which:

the breech end of the gun barrel in the second position is sufficiently offset to one side of the gun frame to permit access to the breech end for loadmg.

7. A hand gun comprising:

a gun frame;

a trigger mounted to the frame and movable with respect to the frame;

firing means including a movable hammer mounted to the frame, the firing means being engaged by the movable trigger for actuation of the hammer;

a gun barrel having a bore therethrough and muzzle and breech ends respectively disposed at opposite ends of said bore, the barrel being pivotally mounted to the gun frame about an axis parallel to the bore for limited pivotal displacement, the displacement positions including a first position with respect to the frame in which the breech end of the barrel registers with the hammer for firing and a second pivotal position in which the breech end is offset from registry with the hammer; and

a breech face cover pivotally mounted to the breech end of the barrel for opening and closing the breech end of the barrel.

8. The hand gun of claim 7 including:

locking means connected to the gun barrel for locking the breechface cover in a closed position with the breech end of the gun barrel.

9. The hand gun of claim 7 wherein:

a firing pin is mounted in the breechface cover.

10. The hand gun of claim 9 including:

means for resiliently biasing the gun barrel away from the second position and into the first position.

11. A hand gun comprising:

a gun frame, said frame having a generally planar configuration;

a trigger mounted to the frame and movable with respect to the frame;

firing means including a movable hammer mounted to the frame, the firing means being engaged by the movable trigger for actuation of the hammer; and

a gun barrel having a bore therethrough and muzzle and breech ends disposed at opposite ends of said bore, said gun barrel having a generally planar configuration and said bore having a generally oblong shape in transverse section with the dimensions of the bore in the oblong direction being greater at the muzzle end than at the breech end of the barrel, said barrel being pivotally mounted to the gun frame about an axis parallel to the bore for limited pivotal displacement, the displacement positions including a first position with respect to the frame wherein the plane of the frame and the plane of the barrel are substantially perpendicular and in which the breech end of the barrel registers with the hammer for firing, the displacement positions also including a second pivotal position in which the breech end is offset from registry with the hammer, the plane of the frame and the plane of the barrel being substantially parallel at the second position.

12. The hand gun of claim 11 wherein:

the dimensions of the bore in the oblong direction along a portion of the bore adjacent the breech end of the barrel are the same.

13. The hand gun of claim 1 1 wherein:

the dimensions of the bore in the oblong direction adjacent the muzzle increase continuously as the distance to the mouth of the muzzle decreases.

14. The hand gun of claim 1 I wherein:

the muzzle end of the barrel has a muzzle opening lying along an arc of a circle parallel to the plane of the barrel.

15. The hand gun of claim 1 1 wherein:

the barrel has a fan-shaped muzzle end.

16. The hand gun of claim 15 wherein:

the surface of the bore within the fan-shaped muzzle includes a plurality of tapered ridges extending radially from a point within the bore to the mouth of the muzzle. 17. The hand gun of claim 1 1 wherein:

the breechface of the barrel includes a cutout for receiving the lip of an ammunition shell.

18. The hand gun of claim 11 including:

means connected to the outer surface of the barrel for pivotally mounting the barrel to a gun frame.

19. The hand gun of claim 18 including:

means for resiliently biasing the gun barrel away from the second position and into the first position.

20. A hand gun comprising:

a gun frame;

a trigger mounted to the frame and movable with respect to the frame;

firing means including a movable hammer mounted to the frame, the firing means being engaged by the movable trigger for actuation of the hammer;

a gun barrel having a bore therethrough and muzzle and breech ends disposed at opposite ends of said bore, the barrel being pivotally mounted to the gun frame about an axis parallel to the bore for limited pivotal displacement, the displacement positions including a first position with respect to the frame in which the breech end of the barrel registers with the hammer for firing and a second pivotal position in which the breech end is offset from registry with the hammer, said bore having a generally oblong shape in transverse section with the dimensions of the bore in the oblong direction being greater at the muzzle end than at the breech end of the barrel; and

a breechface cover pivotally mounted to the breech end of the barrel.

21. The hand gun of claim 20 wherein:

a firing pin is secured in the breechface cover.

22. The hand gun of claim 20 wherein:

a spring-loaded lock pin is mounted in the wall of the barrel at the breechface; and

the breechface cover defines a locking aperture positioned to receive the lock pin at a closed position of the cover and the breech end of the barrel. 

1. A hand gun comprising: a gun frame; a trigger mounted to the frame and movable with respect to the frame; firing means including a movable hammer mounted to the frame, the firing means being engaged by the movable trigger for actuation of the hammer; a gun barrel having a bore therethrough and muzzle and breech ends respectively disposed at opposite ends of said bore, the barrel being pivotally mounted to the gun frame about an axis parallel to the bore for limited pivotal displacement, the displacement positions including a first position with respect to the frame in which the breech end of the barrel registers with the hammer for firing and a second pivotal position in which the breech end is offset from registry with the hammer; and means for resiliently biasing the gun barrel away from the second position and into the first position.
 2. The hand gun of claim 1 including: means connected to the gun frame for retaining the gun barrel in the first and second positions.
 3. The hand gun of claim 1 including: means connected to the trigger for latching the gun barrel in the second position.
 4. The hand gun of claim 3 wherein: the means for latching the gun barrel includes a latch fixedly connected to the movable trigger.
 5. The hand gun of claim 4 wherein: the movable trigger is pivotally mounted in the gun frame, the pivotal displacement of the trigger including a segment between a rest position of the trigger and a firing position of the trigger; and the means for latching is connected to the trigger for releasing the gun barrel from the second position at a position of the trigger intermediate the rest position and the firing position.
 6. The hand gun of claim 1 in which: the breech end of the gun barrel in the second position is sufficiently offset to one side of the gun frame to permit access to the breech end for loading.
 7. A hand gun comprising: a gun frame; a trigger mounted to the frame and movable with respect to the frame; firing means including a movable hammer mounted to the frame, the firing means being engaged by the movable trigger for actuation of the hammer; a gun barrel having a bore therethrough and muzzle and breech ends respectively disposed at opposite ends of said bore, the barrel being pivotally mounted to the gun frame about an axis parallel to the bore for limited pivotal displacement, the displacement positions including a first position with respect to the frame in which the breech end of the barrel registers with the hammer for firing and a second pivotal position in which the breech end is offseT from registry with the hammer; and a breech face cover pivotally mounted to the breech end of the barrel for opening and closing the breech end of the barrel.
 8. The hand gun of claim 7 including: locking means connected to the gun barrel for locking the breechface cover in a closed position with the breech end of the gun barrel.
 9. The hand gun of claim 7 wherein: a firing pin is mounted in the breechface cover.
 10. The hand gun of claim 9 including: means for resiliently biasing the gun barrel away from the second position and into the first position.
 11. A hand gun comprising: a gun frame, said frame having a generally planar configuration; a trigger mounted to the frame and movable with respect to the frame; firing means including a movable hammer mounted to the frame, the firing means being engaged by the movable trigger for actuation of the hammer; and a gun barrel having a bore therethrough and muzzle and breech ends disposed at opposite ends of said bore, said gun barrel having a generally planar configuration and said bore having a generally oblong shape in transverse section with the dimensions of the bore in the oblong direction being greater at the muzzle end than at the breech end of the barrel, said barrel being pivotally mounted to the gun frame about an axis parallel to the bore for limited pivotal displacement, the displacement positions including a first position with respect to the frame wherein the plane of the frame and the plane of the barrel are substantially perpendicular and in which the breech end of the barrel registers with the hammer for firing, the displacement positions also including a second pivotal position in which the breech end is offset from registry with the hammer, the plane of the frame and the plane of the barrel being substantially parallel at the second position.
 12. The hand gun of claim 11 wherein: the dimensions of the bore in the oblong direction along a portion of the bore adjacent the breech end of the barrel are the same.
 13. The hand gun of claim 11 wherein: the dimensions of the bore in the oblong direction adjacent the muzzle increase continuously as the distance to the mouth of the muzzle decreases.
 14. The hand gun of claim 11 wherein: the muzzle end of the barrel has a muzzle opening lying along an arc of a circle parallel to the plane of the barrel.
 15. The hand gun of claim 11 wherein: the barrel has a fan-shaped muzzle end.
 16. The hand gun of claim 15 wherein: the surface of the bore within the fan-shaped muzzle includes a plurality of tapered ridges extending radially from a point within the bore to the mouth of the muzzle.
 17. The hand gun of claim 11 wherein: the breechface of the barrel includes a cutout for receiving the lip of an ammunition shell.
 18. The hand gun of claim 11 including: means connected to the outer surface of the barrel for pivotally mounting the barrel to a gun frame.
 19. The hand gun of claim 18 including: means for resiliently biasing the gun barrel away from the second position and into the first position.
 20. A hand gun comprising: a gun frame; a trigger mounted to the frame and movable with respect to the frame; firing means including a movable hammer mounted to the frame, the firing means being engaged by the movable trigger for actuation of the hammer; a gun barrel having a bore therethrough and muzzle and breech ends disposed at opposite ends of said bore, the barrel being pivotally mounted to the gun frame about an axis parallel to the bore for limited pivotal displacement, the displacement positions including a first position with respect to the frame in which the breech end of the barrel registers with the hammer for firing and a second pivotal position in which the breech end is offset from registry with the hammer, said bore having a generally oblong shape in transverse section with the dimensions of the bore in the oblong direction being gReater at the muzzle end than at the breech end of the barrel; and a breechface cover pivotally mounted to the breech end of the barrel.
 21. The hand gun of claim 20 wherein: a firing pin is secured in the breechface cover.
 22. The hand gun of claim 20 wherein: a spring-loaded lock pin is mounted in the wall of the barrel at the breechface; and the breechface cover defines a locking aperture positioned to receive the lock pin at a closed position of the cover and the breech end of the barrel. 